Pubdate: Sat, 14 May 2016
Source: Pueblo Chieftain (CO)
Copyright: 2016 The Pueblo Chieftain
Contact:  http://www.chieftain.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1613
Author: Chelsea Ryan Arellano

TAKE BACK OUR HOME

Heroin use is such a huge issue in our country; it seems to be the 
drug of choice for most people in today's world.

In Pueblo alone, we had seven deaths as a result of overdoses on 
heroin in 2014; in 2015, we had nine deaths on top of the 13 
homicides in our city.

When will we see that we cannot treat addicts like hardened 
criminals? Addiction should be treated like a disease.

Our main focus should be the rehabilitation of people who have been 
led astray. When someone is rehabilitated, they can take back their 
life, everything the drug has taken away. We have all seen how 
addiction tears families apart. Everyone hurts when someone they love 
abuses drugs.

Through counseling, we can liberate people and show them an 
alternative to self-destruction.

Rehabilitation needs to be easily obtainable to anyone no matter the 
situation - making help readily available for anyone in need. Many 
suffer in silence not knowing who will help, so they turn back to the 
drug, starting the cycle over again.

Instead of prosecuting addicts to the full extent of the law, let's 
focus on stopping the dealers and the people importing these drugs 
who need to serve time for poisoning our society. Let's focus on 
stopping this drug from taking over our city by finding the dealers 
and putting them behind bars.

Our future can be bright if we pull together as a community.

Chelsea Ryan Arellano

Pueblo
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom